This disclosure relates generally to social networking systems, and more particularly to structuring notifications of plans and events of a user of a social networking system to other users of the social networking system.
Social networking systems provide an environment for their users to easily connect to and communicate with each other. Different social networking systems provide various mechanisms to allow this user interaction, including tools and/or functionality allowing users to schedule and coordinate activities or events including groups of users. Similar to conventional calendaring or scheduling tools, calendaring functionality provide by a social networking system allows users to create an event, invite others, and track invitee attendance. For example, a social networking system calendaring tool distributes invitations, receives RSVPs from invitees, and notifies invitees of which invitees have accepted, declined, or indicated that they might attend. To distribute invitations, and track invitees, a calendaring tool may use any suitable communication channel, such as use instant messaging, e-mail, or short message service (SMS).
In addition to allowing users to schedule activities or events, calendaring tools of a social networking system provide a socializing function by informing users of activities of other users to whom they are connected. For example, a calendaring tool shares invitations using a social networking system. In addition to sharing invitations, the calendaring tool may socialize invitee tracking with users of the social networking system. For example, the calendaring tool shares with invitees the number invitations accepted, declined, or indicated as a “maybe” by various social networking system users. Further integration with the social networking system app may also be provided by the calendaring tool.
But conventional online calendaring tools often fail to leverage social information in a manner that helps an invited user decide whether to attend an activity or event that may be of interest to the invited user. Specifically, conventional online calendaring tools fail to apply information regarding the social interactions between social networking system users to help an invited user decide whether to accept an invitation, to decline an invitation, or to remain undecided. Additionally, while conventional online calendaring tools are suitable for planning an event well in advance, they are typically inadequate for organizing a more extemporaneous plan between social networking system users.